


And They Were Roommates!

by VenTea



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, M/M, No Angst, Roommates, Slow Burn, how many times does Mark call Lucas 'dude', overworked college students in need of social interaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28309227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenTea/pseuds/VenTea
Summary: When they became roommates a year ago, Mark certainly didn't expect to catch feelings for his bro Lucas. And it all started with Mark facing literal mortal peril at 7:43 a.m.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 16
Kudos: 115
Collections: NCTV Secret Santa 2020





	1. and they were roommates...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paperbluehyacinth (infiniteleecity)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteleecity/gifts).



> PROMPT: Friends to lovers au, where they fall in love while they're in college. They both have different courses and really no time for each other anymore but they still try their best to meet each other.
> 
> I had a very fun time writing this! I'm sorry I didn't finish it entirely before the deadline but I hope this will tide you over until the next chapter. Which should come soon!!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this. Happy holidays!

_(and they were roommates)_

It would be fun, they said.

Mark didn't realize just how (not) fun his third year of college would be. Mark expected to have a moderate amount of stress in a picture-perfect world because, duh, he's a college student. There's no way to avoid it, but no one ever told him that he'd be _this_ busy.

To think, Mark had been so excited to move out of the second-year dorms just a few months ago. He was finally supposed to enjoy the creative writing classes after spending the last two years clearing out all the mandatory general courses in his program. He was supposed to crack open cold beers with his friends over piping hot fried chicken at his tiny dining table at some sort of late hour.

But nope! His professors threw him directly into projects upon projects upon projects right from the first day. Good-bye to his dreams of a college student's simple pleasures. And it's been weeks since he's seen any of his friends. Curse him and his friends for being dedicated and passionate academics. Seriously!

But at least Mark has his roommate Lucas to suffer with, right? Wrong! Mark hasn't seen his roommate's face in the last two to three weeks. He's only caught the back of Lucas's head as he rushes into the bathroom to get ready or as he's dashing out the front door to tackle his own busy day.

Just another reason for Mark to lament about the start of his third year, unfortunately. When Mark lived in the second-year dorms, Lucas was his roommate then as well. They hit it off so well that there was no reason for them to _not_ live together again.

It was by sheer chance that Mark lucked out with Lucas in the first place. He actually wanted to room with his first-year roommate Donghyuck, but being the (sometimes) dumbass that he is, Mark overslept and forgot to submit the request for Donghyuck to be his roommate.

To Mark's chagrin, Donghyuck complained about the mishap to anyone who was willing to listen, even after Mark apologized. Thankfully, it stopped when they finally moved into their separate dorm rooms.

Somehow with all the luck in the world, Donghyuck moved in with someone who could match his energy: Yangyang, a fashion design student. In a way, Mark is thankful that Donghyuck has someone that could keep up with him, but the consequence of having the both of them gang up on him is exhausting.

Coincidentally, Mark's new roommate Lucas was a friend of Yangyang, which resulted in many hangouts with the four of them. It's no wonder they got so close, so fast! With the way Donghyuck and Yangyang became thick as thieves, Mark wasn't totally surprised when Donghyuck burst into their room holding Yangyang's hand to announce that they started dating.

When their second year ended, it was obvious that Dongyuck and Yangyang were going to move in together, which left Mark and Lucas.

And so, they were roommates. Again!

But if being roommates means Mark is living with a ghost, then he wants a refund!

While Mark is busy with numerous projects, Lucas is occupied with his nursing internship at the hospital just a few bus stops away. Their vastly different schedules leave little to no room to hang out. When Lucas comes back from his internship in the evening, Mark is off to meetings with his group project members. They try to get as much sleep as they can to function, so they rarely see each other in the mornings as well.

One such evening, Mark finally drags his feet back to the apartment and opens the door with a long sigh. Not expecting Lucas to still be awake at 1 a.m., Mark startles when he hears Lucas' voice greeting him with a soft "hey."

Mark snaps his head up to the kitchen and spots Lucas lazily hunched over the kitchen counter with a steaming cup of noodles in front of him. As tired as he is, Mark perks up a bit. "Hey, it's been a while, dude."

"Yeah, seriously." Lucas lets out a little laugh. He gestures to the cup noodles in front of him. "Want some?"

"Urgh, yes. I'm starving." Mark drops his backpack by the door and shuffles over to the kitchen.

Lucas hands Mark a fork and pushes the cup of noodles closer to Mark. Like Lucas, Mark hunches over the kitchen counter to slurp up some noodles, thankful for some warm food in his empty belly.

They pass the cup of noodles back and forth until there's only the sodium-packed broth left. Both of them may be hungry college students, but they're not desperate enough to raise their blood pressure by drinking it.

They make idle conversation to fill in the silence, not quite wanting to pass up this chance for social interaction even if it's late at night. Lucas recounts his internship to Mark with stories about the elderly patients who like to pinch his cheeks and the military-tough nurses who lead the program. In turn, Mark half-heartedly complains about how his professors are slave-drivers and the exciting books he's reading in his creative writing major courses.

Eventually, the conversation lulls into a comfortable silence as they enjoy each other's presence. Mark is just barely fighting sleep from where he's slumped over the counter when Lucas suggests, "Let's do this more often."

"What? Share ramen at one in the morning?" Mark sleepily teases. "We're such stereotypical college students, dude."

Lucas laughs, amused. "No, but you know what I mean, bro. I'm going crazy just going to work and coming back home every day."

Mark nods, totally understanding the struggle. "I feel that."

Lucas continues honestly, "I miss seeing your face. It's weird living with you, without _actually_ seeing you."

Mark can't help the soft smile that appears on his face, feeling warm inside, and it's not just because of the noodles. He's truthfully very thankful for the good friends, like Lucas, that he has in his life. It wouldn't be the same college experience without them.

"Yeah, let's do it," Mark agrees, already looking forward to finally hanging out with his friend.

* * *

_(a large box of fried chicken)_

After that first night, Mark tries his best to text Lucas more often for things outside of groceries and bills. He sends off quick updates throughout the day about his schedule and makes sure to ask Lucas about his own schedules.

It's not just Mark either. Mark can feel Lucas's effort to keep him updated, trying to find some pocket of time to hang out in between their busy schedules. Mark knows that Lucas's nursing major keeps him booked, but he never realized that his creative writing department would be loaded with projects.

Regardless of how demanding their schedules are, Mark appreciates that they're both putting in the work to do well in school. Last year, they discovered that both of them are hardworking students from the many times they stayed up late studying together in their dorm room.

In this new school year, however, this shared dedication to academia is resulting in essentially never seeing each other. Generally, Lucas sleeps in often to get enough rest for another day of physically-demanding work at the hospital. At the same time, Mark is in and out of the apartment at odd times throughout the day for group project meetings and classes.

Mark knows how challenging Lucas's workload is from his own brother Taeyong's past experience as a nursing major as well. And so, Mark tries his best to help Lucas out even if he doesn't actually get to see him.

When Mark leaves the apartment early in the morning, he does his best to leave breakfast for Lucas. A bowl of cereal or jam on toast isn't too difficult for him to handle. Mark doesn't dare to make a bigger breakfast meal with his dismal abilities in cooking eggs. He makes up for it by stocking the kitchen with Lucas's favorite protein bars for his internship days.

On one such morning, Mark is just barely leaving his first class of the day when he gets a text from Lucas.

_**Lucas:** Yoo my internship is letting me out early today_

_**Lucas:** Wanna get dinner?_

_**Lucas:** If you're free ofc_

_**Mark:** Yeeeaa, let's do it!! I have a group project tho :/ but I think I should be done by like 8??_

_**Lucas:** Sounds good!! I can just pick something up on the way back. Anything you want to eat?_

_**Mark:** Chicken!!!!_

It's cold when Mark leaves the library that evening. By the time Mark makes it back to the apartment, he's more than ready to dig into some hot food that he could smell from outside the door.

"Bro, that smells so good," Mark comments as the door shuts behind him, dropping his backpack to the floor on his way to the kitchen.

"I know, right?" Lucas sets down two plates on their tiny dining table. A large box of fried chicken lies right in the center, glistening with spicy sauce, ready to be devoured.

Lucas and Mark quickly wash their hands in the sink right next to each other, barely brushing shoulders, before settling down at the table. Mark barely picks up his fork before his stomach grumbles so loudly that his face flushes red immediately in embarrassment.

Lucas just laughs in response, which makes Mark laugh because of how contagious Lucas' mood is. With the biggest smile on his face, Lucas says, "Dig in, dude!"

Without talking much, the two of them steadily eat their way through the entire box of fried chicken. They're wholly stuffed when they finally decide to break the silence.

"Did you hear about Donghyuck supposedly encountering his quote-unquote rival in the vocal performance department?"

"Oh my god, yeah," Lucas confirms, nodding his head. "I got all these texts from Yangyang saying that's all that Donghyuck has been talking about lately."

"Yeah, apparently, this guy named Renjun is going to 'steal' the part Donghyuck wants in the upcoming musical," Mark continues, entirely amused by his best friend.

"This is honestly so funny," Lucas comments. "But it's driving Yangyang insane, though."

Mark shrugs. "Donghyuck will chill out soon enough."

Lucas nods in agreement. "Oh yeah, how's your group project going?"

Mark groans and drops his head onto the table. "Not so well, dude. I can already tell that I'm going to do over half this thing by myself. And it's supposed to be a lot of work!"

His roommate reaches over and pats his head. "You got this! If you talk to your teammates, I'm sure you guys can figure out a game plan to divide the work evenly."

Mark shifts his head to look up at Lucas from the table and eyes Lucas' bright smile. "You're too optimistic right now. Just let me complain for a little bit," Mark whines.

Lucas laughs loudly but with fond eyes. "Ok, ok. Whatever you say. Complain away."

* * *

_(mindlessly watching reality trash)_

With a flurry of frantic studying on coffee highs, Mark is often left brain dead after exams. There's no way anyone could get Mark to do anything other than becoming one with the couch after midterm week.

After a challenging exam today, Mark is absent-mindedly watching whatever reality TV show on Netflix that he randomly clicks. Something about rich housewives? Mark doesn't quite understand what's happening on the screen.

That's how Lucas finds him when he gets back from his internship hours later. Still wearing his scrubs, he plops down next to Mark on the couch. Mark sees Lucas practically melt into the couch in the corner of his eye, as Mark did just a few hours ago.

Even though Mark's day ended earlier than Lucas's did, it's evidently been a long day for both of them. And so, they sit side by side and watch these rich housewives argue over something irrelevant.

It's just one of those days.

* * *

_(unexpected jump scares)_

It's been weeks since Mark was this elated. At the tail-end of his first class of the day, he received several emails from other professors that his classes got canceled due to some emergency faculty meeting.

Finally! A much-needed break!

Mark practically skips out of class and immediately pulls his phone out to text Lucas.

_**Mark:** Dude!! My classes are all canceled today!!_

_**Lucas:** omg, so you're free today too?_

_**Lucas** : I switched shifts with another intern, so I don't have to go in today_

_**Lucas** : bro, let's do something!_

_**Mark:** wth, what a coincidence!_

_**Mark:** Yeah, let's do something, but what should we do? it's a Tuesday, and everyone else is still in classes :(_

_**Lucas** :_ _hmm..._

 _ **Lucas** :_ _we can just catch a movie?_

_**Mark:** sounds like a plan!_

When Mark arrives back at their apartment, Lucas is dressed and ready to go out, radiating energy like an oversized puppy. It's endearing, and it encourages Mark to pick up the pace and get ready as well.

They hop on the bus heading downtown and get off at the stop in front of a large shopping complex. Mark isn't entirely sure what movies are out right now, but Lucas seems to have his heart set on this spy action movie. Not being too picky, Mark decides to just go along with Lucas' plans.

As Lucas pays for their tickets, Mark stares puzzledly at the poster of the movie they'll be watching in front of them. A large space alien-looking monster looms grimly in the background of the main characters crouching in their spy poses. There are aliens in this movie..?

What Mark thought was just an action movie turned out to be a thriller movie about international spies fighting off aliens. He's confused by the movie's plot, but its unpredictability makes it difficult for him to tear his eyes away from the large screen. With the movie bordering on horror, Mark can't help but flinch at every minor jump scare.

To comfort Mark, Lucas pats Mark's knee each time he flinches but, eventually, he just leaves his hand there. The warmth from Lucas's hand, thankfully, relieves Mark's nerves. The gentle repetitive rubs of Lucas’ thumb on the side of his knee distracts him just enough from the movie-induced tension.

If Mark progressively shifts closer to Lucas for comfort, no one is there to question it or call him out. Thankfully, Donghyuck isn't here to make fun of him for being a scaredy-cat and relying on Lucas to save him.

Mark doesn’t even realize just how close he was to Lucas until the lights flip back on their shoulders practically brushing against each other. If Lucas had noticed, he doesn’t comment on it.

* * *

_(this is the end of the road)_

This is it. This is how Mark Lee dies.

Choking on his cereal at 7:43 a.m. because he was in a rush and decided to shove breakfast in his mouth like a starved man. Now he's severely coughing up a storm on the floor of the kitchen, face turning a deep red trying to dislodge his throat.

He must've made a lot of noise because Lucas runs out of his room wearing just his sweatpants. He rushes immediately to pull Mark up and into a hold from behind. Lucas quickly places a fist just above Mark's belly button, thumb side in, then places his other hand over his fist and starts to push inwards and upwards multiple times.

After three abdominal thrusts, Mark coughs out the cereal stuck in his throat. Mark gasps for fresh air, finally being able to breathe again. He leans against the kitchen counter in front of him to brace himself as he regains his breath. Lucas leans forward with him, his forehead pressed against the nape of Mark’s neck as he breathes heavily.

"Dude, you scared me," Lucas says. Mark could feel him trembling lightly against his neck.

"I was scared too, holy fuck." Mark takes another deep breath, trying to calm his beating heart. "Thank god you were here. Thank fuck for you knowing first aid training. Holy shit. Thank you."

After calming themselves for a moment, Lucas steps back as Mark turns around to face him. Mark realizes then just how close Lucas is standing to him, and he subconsciously leans back against the kitchen counter.

"Are you ok now?" Lucas asks, concerned beyond belief.

At that moment, Lucas grabs Mark's jaw with both hands to maneuver Mark into looking at him directly in the eyes. The intensity in Lucas' eyes as he's checking Mark's face for any sign of discomfort startles Mark, his eyes widening.

Mark simply nods, words suddenly caught in his throat. Lucas holds onto Mark for an extra beat before letting go, but that is enough for Mark's heart rate to speed up again.

He's always known how reliable a person Lucas is. Lucas is always willing to go above and beyond for his friends. He's never said no to any favors, always ready to help with a bright and happy smile. And most importantly, he's never broken a promise.

Mark definitely thinks Lucas is a cool, dependable dude and that anyone would be lucky to be called his friend. Still, Mark is far more used to Lucas’ goofy side.

It’s just-

It's just that Mark has never had Lucas look at him _this_ intensely before.

Suddenly, Mark is conscious that Lucas is shirtless and slightly sweaty _and_ practically has Mark pinned against the kitchen counter. Jesus.

Mark sidesteps around Lucas to get more breathing room, once again trying to calm his heart rate. He looks anywhere but Lucas’ eyes as he quickly thanks him once more and rushes out of the apartment before his roommate can even say anything in response.

Despite his best effort at avoidance, Mark can still feel the warmth of Lucas's touch around him even as he enters the library for his group project meeting later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for giving your time to this fic! I loved this prompt, and I hope you enjoyed my take on this prompt! It's my first NCT fic and it certainly won't be the last! More LuMark, and def more NCT fics in the future. 💚
> 
> Please let me know what you think! 💕 
> 
> Catch me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/TYoongi127) for multi-stan ramblings! Feel free to send fic recs my way. If you like this fic, please consider sharing the [promo tweet here](https://twitter.com/TYoongi127/status/1348013885354168322)! No pressure, of course. 💚


	2. ... who became lovers

_(head empty, just shirtless roommates)_

It only gets worse for Mark after his near-death experience, if that’s even possible. With their exam schedule syncing up, Mark finds himself studying with Lucas a few times a week. Much to both his pleasure and chagrin.

How can Mark even attempt to study when Lucas is sitting just _right there._ With his perfectly messy bed-head hair that is somehow opposite of Mark's own chicken roost in the morning, but that Lucas pulls off effortlessly. With his tight white tee that's clinging onto Lucas's skin for dear life, revealing the lean muscles he's gained from the heavy-duty tasks at his nursing internship. With the way Lucas nibbles the end of his pen, drawing Mark's attention to his lips.

Mark swallows.

Lucas' eyes dart up from his textbook and catch Mark's gaze, giving him a brief smile. Mark immediately glances down to his notebook spread in front of him and nervously scribbles nonsense in the corner of the page. He feels the heat of a raging blush creep up his chest, praying that Lucas has looked away by now.

Unfortunately, it's not the first time Lucas has caught Mark staring at him (and it certainly won't be the last). Lucas has yet to ask, and Mark isn't offering an explanation, not too eager to embarrass himself with stuttering out a reason.

Mark isn't even sure why he's staring at Lucas like this to begin with. Why after over a year of friendship, he's suddenly noticing all these _things_ about Lucas.

Maybe it's because Mark hasn't gotten laid in a few months. The last time Mark fell into bed with anyone was at the Literature Department's New Years' Eve party before this busy school year started. And what a way to start the year off with a bang, a wild escapade between the sheets with Mark's senior AND his senior's girlfriend. His hormone-raging teenage-self would've passed out at the thought of fulfilling one of his long-time bisexual fantasies. But, to be honest, Mark’s dick has been a deserted wasteland ever since, so he supposes it only makes sense.

With Mark's only regular social interaction being a good-looking dude like Lucas; it's no wonder Mark is feeling some type of way about his friend. He's convinced it's just the close proximity. With time and maybe some real interactions with other people, he'll get over this...this _thing._

Not that Lucas was making it easy for him. Just last week, Lucas walked out of their shared bathroom into the kitchen with just a towel wrapped around his waist to show Mark his newly-toned muscles with the biggest and brightest smile on his face. Mark blushes even harder remembering the embarrassing way his eyes bulged out of their sockets, the water he was pouring from the Brita filter completely missing his glass.

Ok, so maybe it'll take Mark a longer time than he thought to forget his impure thoughts of his friend.

* * *

_(these feelings aren't virtual)_

Why did Mark agree to be the team leader again?

Oh right, his almost-neurotic need to control everything leaves him with no other choice than to take on the role himself. Since the beginning of the term, his team had spent countless hours researching and writing one shared essay. As the leader, Mark took it upon himself to review and edit the essay to make sure it was cohesive. With four other group members, their essay is now approaching 29 pages, and Mark hasn't even done the proper formatting for the document.

It's still early in the afternoon, and Mark can for sure finish this final task in front of him before class at 8 a.m. tomorrow. And yet, Mark has just been staring blankly at the blinking cursor of his mouse over the lengthy essay on his laptop screen. It's just... overwhelming. Sitting at 10,573 words, the ginormous document is a daunting challenge to go through.

His hands are poised over the keyboard, but his mind remains blank. This is not an unfamiliar feeling. He’s had other projects too in his previous courses, where there was just so much work to do that even starting it feels like an enormous hurdle.

Except, this time it feels like the steepest mountain on Earth. One that's sitting right in Mark's mind. _'Come on,'_ Mark thinks to himself. _'You can do this. It's not hard; just long.'_

The longer he stares blankly at the screen, the deeper Mark gets into his head. _Why can't he just start?_

The thudding of his blood slowly gets louder and louder.

_Maybe he had too much coffee earlier, and now he's too wired to focus?_

It seems like Mark can't catch his breath. Each breath is shallow.

_What's making this different from any other challenge he's had to tackle?_

But sometimes, it doesn't have to be anything unique or different from the other times to feel this way.

Mark gets so far in his head that he doesn’t even notice when Lucas comes home. He doesn't catch Lucas' greeting him. He doesn't catch Lucas asking him if he's okay when he doesn’t answer.

"Mark, focus on me."

Mark snaps out of wherever his mind took him and stares up at Lucas with wide eyes, mouth parted.

Lucas is holding Mark's face with both hands as he stands beside Mark at their dining table. His handsome features are twisted into concern. Lucas' eyes search his own imploringly.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asks, his voice low as if to avoid startling Mark.

Mark takes a moment to just breathe. He shakily reaches up and holds onto Lucas' hands, gripping tight to press their warmth deeper into his skin. And finally, because what else could he do, Mark answers honestly, "I am now."

Lucas doesn't attempt to pull away from Mark. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

With a heavy sigh and a little embarrassment, Mark confesses to feeling so overwhelmed by the essay that it just got harder and harder to edit the longer he tried to force himself to start. Lucas listens attentively, his expression and tones of acknowledgment never patronizing.

When Mark finishes spilling out his too-full brain, Lucas simply nods, thumb rubbing soft circles on Mark's high cheekbones. For a moment, Lucas thinks to himself quietly before giving Mark a soft, comforting smile.

"Let's go out," Lucas suggests.

Mark blinks. "You mean, right now?" Like now-now?"

"Yeah," Lucas confirms. "You need to take your mind off this essay."

"But I haven't even started?"

"Okay, and?”

"Dude! I can't take a break from something I haven't even started," Mark explains, exasperated already.

Yet Lucas being, well, Lucas, he manages to pull Mark away from his laptop and out the door, barely remembering to grab his phone and wallet. As their apartment door closes behind him, Mark briefly wonders if Lucas can use The Force or if he's just that strong.

Unaffected as always, Lucas throws his arm over Mark's shoulders and leads them to a busy main street just around the corner of the block. Mark stumbles along for the ride, trusting that wherever Lucas is taking him will be worthwhile.

They end up at a virtual reality arcade right above a cafe. Lucas pays for both Mark's coffee and their tickets to play the VR games, shrugging off Mark's protests to pay for his own things. Mark sulks and pouts as they enter the arcade, but the excitement of trying the games soon takes over.

The pair flit from game to game, trying out zombie shooting to baseball batting cage simulations. They play and play until both of their stomachs cry out for food, their energies exhausted. Like before, Lucas insists on paying for their food as well, clamping both hands on Mark's shoulder to keep him sitting at their booth.

Mark eventually relents and watches Lucas walk away to order a large serving of tteokbukki at the cash register. While Lucas is waiting for their order, he turns back to shoot Mark a goofy smile.

Like earlier in the afternoon, Mark's heart races, and he finds it hard to catch his breath. But this time, it isn't a bad feeling. And if he were to be honest with himself, which he tries to be as often as possible, these are butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

Well fuck, he thinks as he watches Lucas practically strut back to the table, does he really have a heart boner for his roommate?

* * *

_(friends to lovers...that’s kind of the point right?)_

Mark is still convinced that he's just horny and that the proximity of living together is causing these _feelings_ for Lucas he can’t seem to get out of his head. Proximity, after all, greatly influences attraction, according to the Psych 101 course he took two years ago. It doesn't at all have to do with how stubborn Mark is. Not one bit...

And tonight, he'll prove it.

Both Mark and Lucas are invited to their friend Guanheng's apartment for a last "hurrah" before they all crank down and start studying for final exams. Guanheng was an exchange student from Macau they met in the dorms last year that quickly settled into their friend group. It's the perfect opportunity to get mindlessly drunk before they turn back into sleep-deprived college students, like Cinderella before the clock strikes midnight.

Except Mark doesn't plan on going home until well past midnight tonight. Maybe tonight, he'll get lucky with some girl or guy who wouldn't mind a quick hookup, just to get the horny energy out of his system.

That thought in mind, Mark dresses to impress. He struggles into the tight jeans that Donghyuck swears all girls and guys would want to tap his ass after seeing him in it and shrugs on a plain tee. It’s more form-fitting than his other shirts with a loose collar that shows off his collar bones. On top, he throws over a dark denim jacket.

After combing his hair back to reveal the wide expanse of his rarely-seen forehead, Mark is satisfied enough to wait in the living room for Lucas. It isn't long before his roommate emerges from his room.

Leaning against the back of the couch, Mark looks up from his phone and proceeds to drop his jaw. Lucas stands before Mark and makes a whole show of showing off his outfit, like a model at the end of the runway. Everything is fitted on Lucas' body like a glove, but all Mark can focus on is the leather jacket with metal studs.

Like any teenage girl in an American YA novel, Mark melts for any hot man in a leather jacket. He's a simp, he already knows.

"Attention to Mark, what's going on in your head, dude?" Lucas asks after trying to get Mark's attention. (Well, he certainly had Mark's attention, just not where Lucas would think it is.)

"Uhhh," Mark replies dumbly. "I was thinking that your cologne smells good?"

Lucas hums and starts to back up into his room. "Be right back!"

He was only gone for a split second when he returned with his cologne bottle in hand. Mark stares wide-eyed as Lucas spritzes him a few times.

"There, now you smell like me," Lucas declares with a side smile. Or is that a smirk?

Mark tries not to display how much he's screaming internally on his face. "I-if you're ready, let's go."

It doesn't take long for them to arrive at Guanheng's party since it was only a few blocks away. Upon arrival they discover it's a much bigger party than they thought. How do all of these people even fit in this small of an apartment?

Thankfully with Lucas' tall height, he can spot the party host over the crowd of people. Lucas leads the way to Guanheng, but they practically have to squeeze past everyone.

"Hey, you guys made it!! I haven't seen your faces in forever," Guanheng says, handing them a cup of some sort of alcoholic drink from the punch bowl next to them.

"Yeah, good to see you, man," Lucas responds, Mark nodding along. "I didn't realize you were inviting this many people?"

Guanheng laughs loudly. "I didn't! The apartment next to me was also throwing a party, so we decided to combine!"

"Bro, what? What a coincidence." Mark marvels at how easily Guanheng can make friends.

"I know, right? Anyways, I gotta go make sure everyone has a drink in hand," Guanheng declares. "That's my mission! Enjoy the party, guys!"

For a moment, Mark doesn't know what to do. He hears Donghyuck yell his name from over the crowd, just as someone called for Lucas too from the other side. They look at each other and laugh.

"Guess I'll see you later, then?" Mark asks with a big grin.

Lucas nods, a matching grin on his own face. "Yeah, bro. Let's enjoy ourselves tonight. See ya!"

They split to meet up with their individual friends for the night. Donghyuck gives Mark a big hug and steers him over to introduce him to Renjun, the supposed "rival" in the vocal performance department. Turns out, Renjun was after a totally different role than Donhyuck, which ultimately convinced Mark's best friend to offer an olive branch for giving him attitude. In just a few months, Mark is surprised but happy to see Donghyuck mature.

As Mark catches up with his old friends and gets to know some new friends, he can't help but look around every so often for Lucas. He peers over the rim of his cup into the crowd every time he takes a drink. Even with the large crowd, Mark can still hear Lucas' boisterous laugh.

And it makes him curious. What is Lucas laughing at? Is he having a good time? Is Lucas drinking enough water?

Donghyuck gives Mark a sharp look. "Mark Lee, where is your attention going? I haven't seen you in weeks, and this is the treatment you give me?"

Mark nervously laughs. "N-nothing! Just, uh, looking for Lucas?"

"I'm sure the big baby is fine," Donghyuck replies, along with a dry stare.

Mark continues his nervous laughter, but that's a mistake. If there's anyone who can tell what's up with Mark, it's his best friend.

"What's going on?" Donghyuck asks suspiciously. "Something's happening."

Mark just gives him a hesitant smile, but Donghyuck's eyes narrow. "You are awkwardness personified right now, Mark Lee. I demand you tell me what's wrong with you."

Feeling cornered and spooked, Mark begins to back up into the crowd, hands raised. "Nothing! You know what, I think I hear someone calling my name. I'll see you later!"

"Mark Lee, get back here!"

That's the last thing Mark hears before diving deep into the cluster of bodies in the living room. He's making his way to the door when a hand clamps over his shoulder. With a gasp, Mark swings around to face whoever grabbed him.

"Are you okay? You seem to be in a rush."

Mark stares up at Lucas, the man who's thrown everything in disarray. "Y-yeah, I just need some air. Maybe I drank too much?"

Mark didn't actually drink that much. Just enough to feel the warm buzz underneath his skin, his mind still relatively clear and lucid. There's no red flush to his cheeks that would tell everyone within a mile radius of his drunkenness.

And yet, Lucas doesn't comment on that. Lucas just nods, and the hand on Mark's shoulder slides down his arm, leaving a trail of heat only Mark is aware of, to grab his hand. "Let's go then!"

"Wait! Don't you want to stay at the party?" Mark asks though he doesn’t let go of Lucas' hand.

Lucas leads him through the crowd between them and the front door as he answers, "Nah, that's okay. I'll go wherever you go."

Lucas squeezes his hands for a moment, but it's enough for Mark to feel utterly captivated. As they leave the apartment and Mark feels the crisp evening air on his overheated skin, Mark realizes he spent the entire time at the party wondering about Lucas. Even if Mark knew that Lucas was just right across the room.

He stares up at the back of Lucas' head as Lucas leads them back home. They're simply _being_ in each other's company with a comfortable silence between them.

And that’s when it hits him. There's just no way that Mark can simply "get over" someone like Lucas. Mark actually and genuinely likes Lucas. Hell, with the way Lucas treats Mark, he knows that falling in love with Lucas is inevitable.

Mark looks back down at their joined hands. Even though they're no longer in a crowd, Lucas has yet to let go of Mark's hand. For a moment, Mark allows himself to hope.

And with this inkling of hope come deeper, stronger feelings than he even expected. The combination of realizing his feelings, Lucas' warm hand in his, and the buzz under his skin causes Mark to stop in his tracks.

Mark gently tugs on Lucas' arm to stop the man from pulling him along, "Dude, wait."

Lucas turns back, puzzled, his head tilting in question and Mark gathers as much of his courage as he can. "I-I like you."

Lucas smiles his puppy smile. "I like you too, bro."

"No. I mean--like, I like-like you. Not a bro-kind of like," Mark fumbles to explain himself.

Lucas takes one big step closer to Mark, their hands still locked. Mark's heart races at its implication. Right there, in the middle of the sidewalk, Lucas lifts their joined hands to place a soft kiss on Mark's knuckles. He lifts his tender gaze to stare right into Mark's eyes. "Yeah Mark, I like-like you too."

"Wait, what?"

Lucas just laughs his big boisterous laugh and bends his head to give Mark another kiss, this time on his lips. The city around them doesn't stop, but it does for Mark and Lucas, just for this moment. Mark knows not to expect this kiss to feel any different than any other kiss. After all, it's just skin on skin. But the way this kiss feels as electrifying as it is comfortable, it's nothing like any kiss he's experienced before.

Lucas pulls back and cradles Mark's face in his hands, helping himself to a peck. Mark can feel the heat radiating off his face, he’s sure he looks like a tomato. As he looks into Lucas’ big, beautiful eyes he can’t help but ask, "Are you sure?"

Lucas chuckles, clearly amused by his question. "I've had plenty of time to think about and confirm, how I feel about you, Mark Lee. You're not very subtle you know. You got me thinking, but clearly, I came to my own conclusions faster than you. I was pretty certain you’d do the same. I was just waiting for you to come around."

Mark scrunches his face in embarrassment and refuses to respond, but Lucas just laughs again.

"You make my heart flutter every time you do something thoughtful for me, Mark Lee," Lucas continues gently, voice barely above a whisper. "You take care of me as much as I take care of you. Let's keep on doing that, yeah?"

Mark makes a wailing noise, but his cheeks are blazing.

“Dude, that's so cheesy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reading! I loved writing this prompt and I'm excited to write more LuMark. 💚 This was my first NCT fic so I'm very proud of this fic. I'm so excited to dive more into writing for the NCT fandom. 💚 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! 💕 
> 
> Catch me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/TYoongi127) for multi-stan ramblings! Feel free to send fic recs my way. If you like this fic, please consider sharing the [promo tweet here](https://twitter.com/TYoongi127/status/1348013885354168322)! No pressure, of course. 💚


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